I have been playing sitar since I was four. I was fortunate enough to have music in blind school in India and it has been in my life ever since. My love is North Indian Classical music but I also immensely enjoy working with other artists from other traditions. I have worked with many artists all have taught me something (all good mainly!). You can hear my sitar on Massive Attacks albums, I've worked with Jah Wobble and for those who may remember Soul II Soul. I have toured with Future Sound of London. While I come from a tradtional place I am into experimenting. I have composed for theatre and film.
2007 saw the relase of my 3rd Classical Album "Shadow Of The Lotus" with which I toured the UK . Do go to my web site www.baluji.com to read more about me.
I have recently completed a new compositon for sitar, Kora, Violin and vocals - Song Celestial which was inspired by a chapter in the Bhagavad Gita. I hope a UK tour will follow.
I am also part of an Indo jazz folk group called Jazz Oreint which also includes singer Linda Shanovitch (also my wife) and multi instrumentalist Chris Conway. 2006 we released our 3rd album on which we were delighted to guest appearances by Andy Shepperd, Hossam Ramzy and Guy Barker.
Im very happy to do session work. Most recently I recorded sitar and dilruba on a new track by The Doves and last year with the same instruments I recorded in on BBC2 Abbey Road sessions of tracks from the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart re recordings by Oasis and Kaiser Chiefs (amongst others). I'm open to new things.
Every time that we listen or write music... play an instrument... dance... act in a play... or work in some audio/image/video engineering process... Something is healing inside...
When we share it with friends... Something is healing all over...
You are welcome in the living light of Kalidasa's poetry, the antique great Poet of India.
I have created this Kalidasa's profile, because even if great writers as Goethe, Lamartine or René Daumal was fond of his talent, and though Kalidasa is known as the Indian Shakespeare by the scholars all over the world, he is still quite unknown in western countries.
Composing 558 verse Hamd or sufi song to praise Allah or God or Ishwar which can be sing and musically instrumented. Till now 2 books means 200 verse are composed and work for the 3rd book on progress. This work is being composed by me to bring humanity on one common platform of one God, the theme & title is- Only one you are only one (in Hindi Ek-Hai-Tu-Ek-Hai). This will be a longest Hamd or song written to praise Allah or God till now. Pl. be with me to complete the task. I pray to Allah for your all round success in life, As a verse of Hamd or my sufi song says-
Kamayabi Saath hai uske Jisko tera saath hai. Vash me saari cheez hai tere Vash me sab haalaat hai. Tu hi khushiyan dene wala Deta tu hi upghaat hai.
Humko kewal pyar hai tujse Aur kisi se pyar nahee. Ek Hai Tu Ek Hai.
E Allah E Malik E Ishwar Tera Koi Avtar nahee Ek Hai Tu Ek Hai.
Hello BalujiShrivastav, sitar beat will be giving a concert at indian embassy berlin on 5th may. 6.00 pm and at "haus der sinne berlin" on 6th may. 9.00 pm greetings from dresden sitar beat
